SwRI BAR.gif (804 bytes)

Skywisp® Atmospheric Satellite

Carry Mission-Specific Payloads to Stratospheric Altitudes

Applications

  • Communications, special intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (CISR) tasks
  • Remote sensing / sensor data collection
  • Radio relay / geolocation / tracking
  • Signal intercept and exploitation
  • Environmental sampling

Key Features

  • Operation to 100,000-feet altitude
  • Very low-cost balloon-assisted glider
  • Unmanned coverage of hostile areas
  • Autonomous operation and recovery
  • 1- or 2-person launch and forget
  • Continuous option for positive human control
  • Quick reaction capability
  • Low observables

Persistent Surveillance with Payload Recovery

SwRI developed SkyWisp to support multiple SIGINT and Blue Force Tracking applications. SkyWisp is essentially a floating atmospheric satellite with provisions for autonomous payload recovery. Its primary application is to carry mission-specific payloads to stratospheric altitudes, to loiter over the mission area and to safely glide the payload to a specified location. It has a scaleable airframe tailored to mission payload requirements and carries payloads specifically designed to meet customer-defined operational requirements.

Typical payloads provide communications radio relay, remote imaging, sensor data and other in situ measurements. Compared to traditional unattended airborne systems (UASs), SkyWisp is low cost, effective and simple to operate. Training can be done in one day. SkyWisp provides persistent, timely, assured and responsive CISR for ground forces during operations that are urban, mobile, dispersed, remote, special and covert. It is designed for the tactical user in theater. SkyWisp has completed more than 200 successful test flights as of February 2006.

Benefits

  • Proof-of-concept established using SwRI internal research
  • Night operation with infrared navigation lights
  • Solar and battery powered
  • Low observables (RCS, visible and acoustic signatures)
  • Able to operate with avionics powered off for weak signal collection
  • Mobile ground station with optional steered high-gain telemetry antenna for extended range
  • Drift mode for extended operational duration
  • Tailorable to specific payload applications
  • Integrate and demonstrate new payload applications
  • Optimize descent algorithm for wind speed and direction (real-time destination ETA)
  • Dynamic range estimator using ascent wind profile data (landing zone ellipse)
  • Failsafe - communications loss alternative landing zone algorithm
  • Egress mode development - low-altitude propulsion
  • Persistent stratospheric coverage via overlapping sorties (1,328-kilometer diameter footprint)
  • Operates above controlled air-space on a noninterference basis

For more information, contact James A. Moryl, Director, Surveillance and Geolocation Department.
 

Division Publications

Surveillance and Geolocation
Signal Exploitation and Geolocation
SwRI Technical Divisions separate.gif (834 bytes) SwRI Home

January 24, 2012